7.1. Introduction
Burn injury keeps a leading position in the number of lethal outcomes. In the zones of emergencies, natural and technological disasters, military conflicts this marker grows by several times. Children under 5 years old are exposed to the highest risk of burning injury. 20% of deaths at an early age are caused by burning injuries. At the same time, the adults and elderly people also show quite high rate of 28%. The severity of the burning injury depends on the damaging factor (the most acute burns are caused by steam and fire), temperature, duration of exposure, location of the injury (the most dangerous are injuries to the head, mouth cavity, and airways), its depth and magnitude.
Damage to more than 30% of the body is considered critical and more than often leads to lethal outcome. For children, this percentage is half as much. Quite frequently the burning injury comes alongside the other damaging factors, thus thermal injuries are often complicated by adverse poisoning with the vapours of the burning materials (plastic, rubber etc.), poisoning with sweet damp etc., which considerably aggravates the course of the posttraumatic period and decreases chances of favorable outcome. Immediately given first aid often facilitates the prevention of severe burning shock.